Higher I'll Climb
by revivingophelia
Summary: Teddy Long has another idea to make Eve's life miserable. It doesn't work out how he plans. set in early January 2013. Eve Torres, Kaitlyn, others.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Higher I'll Climb

Author: Karen U/revivingophelia

Pairing/Character: Eve Torres, Kaitlyn, others

Disclaimer: No one you recognize belongs to me

Rating: R/M

Summary: Teddy Long has a new idea that includes making Eve's life miserable. It doesn't go as he plans.

Spoilers: early January 2013

Warnings: language, violence, adult situations

Note: As stated in the spoilers, this fic is set in January 2013, which is before the Bellas returned, so they are not in this story.

* * *

Part One

She made her way into the divas' locker room, an annoyed expression on her face as she took a seat on one of the benches, glancing around at the rest of the women that were there. The truth was, in the past several months, the number of divas had dwindled quite a bit... the Bellas, Kelly, Beth... all of them gone. If she'd actually liked any of them very much, it might have made her sad. As it was, she just found it annoying that the company could lose so many woman and the idiots in charge - Booker T, mostly - hadn't even said a word about bringing any new divas up.

"Ah, you all made it," Teddy Long said as the final diva - Alicia Fox - made her way into the locker room, and Eve found herself thinking that Teddy acted like such a diva most of the time that he probably felt right at home there... But she didn't say anything about it, mainly because at least half the women in the company were too stupid to see Teddy Long as the good ol' boy pervert that he really was. She knew the real reason that Teddy hated her was that she was younger, smarter, and more capable than him... and that she was a *woman* that was all of those things.

"We're the divas. It's our locker room. Of course we would make it here," Rosa Mendes muttered with a roll of her eyes, the woman shifting slightly on her spot on the bench, an expression of pure boredom on her face. She sat next to Tamina Snuka, who looked equally as bored.

Teddy didn't seem to notice that he only had the interest of about a third of the women in the company... Which, really, didn't amount to too much any longer. Oblivious to the fact that at least two of the divas were playing games on their phones - Layla appeared to be playing Words with Friends and she thought Naomi was playing Fruit Ninja - Teddy practically clapped his hands in something that could only be called giddiness. "Now, I'm sure you're all wondering why I called you in here-"

"Well, really, we're wondering why you think it's okay to be in the divas' locker room," Alicia spoke up, looking a bit annoyed. Apparently, she was in a bad mood today instead of a good one, which meant she'd likely be hanging around with Aksana instead of Layla. Whatever. Eve didn't really care; she just wanted this stupid 'meeting' to be over with.

"Ms. Fox, I am conducting a meeting at the moment-"

"Then why don't you conduct it? Tell us what's going on, and then let us go. Dolph's waiting for me. He needs me," AJ said, and Eve was pretty sure that she heard Kaitlyn muttered something regarding AJ being on her knees because Dolph needed a blowjob, but she really wasn't sure, and she wasn't about to ask because she just did not want to know. AJ's habit of bouncing from guy to guy wasn't her business, and Eve preferred to keep it that way.

Teddy cleared his throat. "Now-"

"You're just jealous that I have a guy and you don't. You wish you had Dolph, and you're mad that I have him," AJ, who had apparently heard whatever it was that Kaitlyn said, interrupted before Teddy could get any further. Kaitlyn snorted in response.

"Oh, please. Like I want a guy that spends more time on his hair than I do on mine," she said with a roll of her eyes.

"Well, you look like you don't spend any time on your hair at all," AJ shot back, stepping closer to her former friend. "You'll never get a man looking like that-"

"And you'll never have a real relationship if you just fall to your knees and open your mouth whenever a guy looks at you," Kaitlyn retorted, her words enough to get a gasp from a couple of the other women, though Eve didn't react. In fact, all Eve did was stretch out one long leg when AJ lunged for Kaitlyn, the divas' champion tripping the smaller woman up and sending her to the floor.

"Oops, my bad. So sorry," Eve said as she reached down and hauled AJ up by the elbow, then shoved her back in the direction she'd come from. "Everyone back to their corners. The sooner Teddy makes his announcement, the sooner he leaves and we can get ready for the show."

"She does have a point," Natalya muttered, and while AJ still looked like she wanted to rip Kaitlyn's hair out by the roots, the fact that none of the other women seemed willing to help her caused the other girl to wilt a little, AJ sitting down with a huff and crossing her arms over her chest. Eve fought the urge to smirk as she realized that AJ had gotten some of her bracelets caught in the shredded part of her shirt.

"What's going on, Teddy?" Layla questioned, shifting slightly in her seat, the woman having finally put away her phone, no longer playing any of the games on it. She sounded as bored as Eve felt. Of course, Layla hadn't had very many matches as of late, which meant she had a pretty good reason for seeming so bored at work.

"Well, I've been talking to Booker T about this, noticing that some of you girls haven't really been gettin' much time on television lately, and that's just a shame. So I came up with a way to fix that-"

"A tag team division?" Natalya piped up, sitting up a little straighter, and Teddy barely had time to shake his head no at that before Eve voiced her thoughts.

"A tournament to determine the number one contender? It would be so much more of a build-up than just a battle royal. It would make it mean more, too," the woman said, voicing the same thing she'd said to Booker in the past... But had been completely ignored.

"No, no, not that. You see... It's not that at all. No, I came up with something better-"

"What's better than having more matches?" Layla wanted to know, and Teddy shot them all a winning smile, apparently too stupid to realize that they were not excited about his announcement if it didn't mean more ring time.

"Managing," he said, still smiling. "That's right, girls. Starting next week? Y'all are all going to be managers."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer, etc., in part 1. Thanks to everyone that reviewed the first part.

* * *

Part Two

Eve reached down, immediately grabbing at the divas' title that was in her bag, pulling it out and bringing it up to rest over her shoulder. "What about the division? What about the divas' title?" she managed to ask, and she knew from the looks on most of the other women's faces that they had the same question, the same worry. If Teddy Long's bright idea was to just scrap the division and make them all managers... Oh, yeah. He might not get out of the locker room alive.

"Now, now, girls. Calm down-"

"Women. Or ladies. We're fully grown adults, not little girls," Tamina stated, a warning edge to her tone as she spoke, the woman glaring daggers at Booker T's senior advisor. Eve was pretty sure the man actually gulped when he looked over at her. Perhaps he was realizing just how many of the women in this locker room could toss him around or twist him into a pretzel. Eve was certain that she could make him tap, and she figured that Natalya could easily do that, too... And both Kaitlyn and Tamina could probably throw him around pretty viciously if they wanted to. And implying that the division might be going away? That could make a lot of the women want to beat him up.

Teddy cleared his throat a little nervously, then pasted that annoying smile on his face again, once more looking like it was Christmas and he was Santa Claus gifting them with some amazing gift. "Okay, ladies. My bad. But you do need to calm down. The division isn't going anywhere. There's still a title, and there's still going to be matches for you, but not all of you are going to have matches every week, so you're going to be a manager as well."

"What about me?" Rosa questioned. "I already manage Epico and Primo, and I am perfectly happy there. I'll stay with them, right?"

"Yes, yes, of course. Any of you that is already walking out with someone will continue to do so. Rosa will remain with Epico and Primo, Naomi and Cameron will remain with Brodus Clay, Natalya will remain with the Great Khali and Hornswoggle. AJ will remain with Dolph and Big E Langston," the man stated, and Eve was pretty sure that she heard Kaitlyn snort at that.

"Until she tosses him off a high place and skips off with someone else," the woman muttered, and Eve had to fight the urge to smirk at that because it was pretty damn accurate. AJ had made a habit of shoving guys off turnbuckles or ladders or... something. Seriously, the girl had a really bad dating history and, to be quite honest, Eve wasn't sure dating was the right word for some of it. It seemed that, at least in a couple of cases, it had more been AJ pursuing the guys and them humoring her until her neediness got to be too much for them to deal with.

AJ sent Kaitlyn a withering look. "Dolph and I are forever."

"We'll remind you of that statement this summer, when you've gone through three other guys and don't even remember Dolph's name any longer," Eve stated briskly, ignoring the surprised look from Kaitlyn at that, as well as the glare from AJ, the current divas' champion instead looking straight at Teddy Long. "How long do we have?" she wanted to know, and he sent her a confused look... Which, unfortunately, Eve thought was pretty much his natural expression.

"I'm not sure I understand what you're asking."

"You're telling us that we have to be managers. There are several of us that don't have any current affiliation to any of the male superstars," the woman said, glancing around the room as she spoke, gesturing to indicate the other divas. Kaitlyn, Layla, Alicia, Tamina, Aksana... her. "That means that there are still several of us that have to find someone to manage. I'm simply asking how long we have to find someone. You said this managing thing starts next week. Is that the deadline for us to find someone? And what happens if we need more time?" Eve wanted to know, noting out of the corner of her eye that Layla and Alicia were both nodding in agreement with her words. Clearly, they had the same concerns that she did.

Teddy cleared his throat again, looking a little nervous as he shot a look toward Tamina - clearly, she was the diva he was most concerned about for some reason; maybe because unlike most of the rest of the women, who were keeping their expressions polite, Tamina looked a few seconds from going after him. "Well, see, that's where you're a little confused-"

"If she's confused, then so are the rest of us. How long do we have to find someone to manage? And what happens if we can't? It's a big decision, both for us, and for the man we start to manage," Layla declared, and Teddy adjusted the tie he wore before speaking again.

"Well it seems that there is some confusion, because you all seem to think that you have to find someone to manage," he said, then sent them all a bright look like he was about to bestow some great gift on them. Eve half-expected the man to tell them not to worry their pretty little heads or something condescending like that. "You see, girls-"

"Ladies," Alicia corrected him in a near-growl, clearly getting frustrated, but Teddy ignored her.

"Seeing as this was my idea, I've already got everything put together. You don't have to find someone to manage, because I've already chosen somebody for you."

"And they agreed to this? Or are they as in the dark about it as we are?" Kaitlyn wanted to know, the Houston native looking offended by the fact that Teddy had taken it upon himself to choose who they would manage... And probably more offended by the idea that Teddy may have consulted the men in question but was just assigning them without any regard to what they might want. Eve figured it was about damn time that the other divas' realized how much of a chauvinistic pig Teddy Long could be.

"Well, to be honest, it's a bit of a surprise for them, too. But that's part of the excitement. Neither of you will know until it's announced. Which it will be... Tonight, live on RAW. Next week on RAW is when you'll start to manage them," he said, giving them all a winning smile. "Now... Any questions?"

"How fast do you think you can get out of this room?" Tamina asked, and Teddy gave her a confused look.

"Why do you ask that?"

"Because if you don't get the hell out of here, I'm going to beat the crap out of you," the woman said, rising to her feet as she spoke, her hands curling into fists.

It turned out that Teddy Long could move faster than any of them expected him to.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer, etc., in part 1.

* * *

Part Three

"He's got to be bloody kidding."

Eve looked up at the sound of Layla's voice, the woman noting quickly that only the divas that were going to be affected by Teddy Long's new decree were actually still in the locker room. AJ was long gone, having rushed off to find Dolph - but not before sending the rest of them a mocking smile and laughing about the 'poor losers' that couldn't find men on their own... Kaitlyn had lunged at her then, and AJ had shot out of the room like her life depended on it, which, given the look on Kaitlyn's face, it might have. Rosa had been more sympathetic, muttering about idiot men and their idiot agendas in Spanish before heading off to find Epico and Primo. Naomi and Cameron had left quietly enough, Natalya not far behind them, the woman telling Layla to try not to worry too much before she'd headed out.

Natalya's exit had left the six divas that didn't have current affiliations with any of the men in the room alone, none of them looking very happy about the situation. And while the six of them weren't exactly a group of friends, any animosity amongst them had, at least for a moment, been aimed at Teddy Long instead.

"Why would he do this?" Kaitlyn wanted to know. "Why not just... Give us more matches? Tag matches or something or..."

"Or the tournament to determine a number one contender for the divas' title that Eve mentioned," Alicia put in, waving a hand in Eve's direction as she spoke. "Why haven't you suggested that to Booker?"

Eve arched a brow at the other diva. "What makes you think I haven't?" she wanted to know. "I've suggested things like that for months. I suggested it when Layla was the champion and no one bothered to find her a challenger for over two months. And when the bigshots finally decided to find a contender, they just went with a battle royal instead."

"I asked for more matches when I was the champion," Layla began, and Eve shrugged her shoulders.

"I tried to get you more. Or at least tried to get you a contender. But as Teddy Long has proven here, we don't have the right body parts for the men in power to actually consider us as serious competitors," she hissed out. "So instead, we're relegated to being ringside eye-candy."

"And we don't even get to choose who we walk out with. That's what really makes me mad," Alicia put in. "What if I get someone I hate?"

"It's probably going to depend on how well Teddy likes you," Eve said, then shot a look at Aksana, who was remaining quiet, though she was shifting around uncomfortably. "I'm sure Aksana will be just fine, seeing as she's been sleeping with Teddy again... You know, ever since Cesaro dumped her."

Aksana blinked, her head jerking up. "I... I haven't- You know I-"

"I know you need to password protect your iPhone," Eve tossed back. "Because, you know, after you and Teddy worked so hard to frame me for attacking Kaitlyn at Night of Champions, I just had to check out your phone. I mean, I thought it was Teddy behind it, but I just had to be sure. And I have to say? Some of those pictures he sent you? Actually made me lose my lunch. I don't know how you managed to do the things you did with him."

Kaitlyn snorted. "Please, Eve. You expect us to believe-"

"It doesn't matter anymore. My Teddy dumped me because I couldn't get you fired," Aksana interrupted, looking at Eve while she spoke. "I was to get your job. It should have worked-"

"But it didn't because Booker T realized - at least at the time - that I did more work than him and Teddy combined," Eve spat out. "And I'm sure that Teddy will make sure to show how pissed he is that I'm not gone from the company by teaming me up with the worst person he can think of."

Kaitlyn shook her head, still stuck on the fact that, apparently, Eve had been right about Teddy and Aksana framing her for the Night of Champions attack. Or, at least, Aksana hadn't thought the accusation insulting enough to refute it. "I don't understand. Why would... Why would Teddy Long have me attacked?"

"You were probably collateral damage," Eve replied, then shrugged. "Of course, originally, he tried to get you my job, right? It came down to a match between us, and I won. Maybe he was mad that you couldn't beat me then but you did manage to throw me out of the ring at the battle royal like a week later." She shrugged. "And he made sure you got a few title shots after I won the title. Maybe he considered that as trying to make it up to you for getting you injured."

"This is bloody crazy," Layla said, looking around the room at the women that were there. Tamina had been sitting silently the entire time, looking like she wanted to head out the door, hunt Teddy Long down, and beat the crap out of him. For her part, Alicia looked like she wanted to grab some popcorn or something and just enjoy the show... And Aksana looked a bit like she wanted to disappear. "If what you're saying is true... and Aksana isn't denying it... That man is now in charge of who we're going to be managing. He's chosen it for us. And he's clearly batshit insane."

Kaitlyn lowered her head into her hands, fingers threading through her hair. "I can't believe this. I never thought..." She lifted her head, looking at Eve. "Why the hell didn't you tell the truth before-"

"Would you have believed it? Before now... Before Teddy Long gleefully started screwing with all of our careers... Would you have ever thought I *might* be telling the truth?" the woman wanted to know. "He's the one that reminded Booker that all titles had to be defended that night, by the way. At first I thought maybe he didn't realize that I was the best option for a replacement. But later..."

"You realized that he intended for you to get the match so that you would look more suspicious," Kaitlyn said, then frowned. "But what about the email I saw on your tablet?"

"You mean the one Teddy showed to you? The one from Aksana? It was planted just like all the other evidence. I mean, Kaitlyn, I can send out an email saying I have proof that Zack Ryder is actually in love with John Cena. That doesn't make it true. It just means I sent an email saying it," the woman said, tilting her head as she considered her words. "Although I do kind of suspect..."

The younger woman snorted. "Okay. I get your point. And now..." She turned her head, looked at Aksana. "Tell me flat-out: is Eve telling the truth? Did Teddy Long have you attack me?"

"It was just... No hard feelings. He wanted Eve gone. I was supposed to get job," Aksana said.

"So... I missed out on my first title shot because Teddy Long had a vendetta against someone else. And now, Teddy Long is in charge of our careers? Because face it... Who we have to manage? Is definitely going to affect our careers," Kaitlyn said, and Layla heaved out a sigh.

"We are so screwed," the British diva muttered, and Eve nodded.

"My thoughts exactly."


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer, etc., in part 1.

* * *

Part Four

"Maybe we can go to Booker T," Kaitlyn suggested, the woman frowning as she stood in the back with Eve, Layla, and Tamina... The other women (aside from Aksana and Alicia) that would be affected by Teddy Long's announcement that he would be choosing men in the company for them to manage. No one actually knew where Alicia Fox had wandered off to, and after the revelation that Aksana and Teddy had been the ones behind her attack at Night of Champions - and not Eve - Aksana had taken off, and none of them had exactly tried to stop her. It was weird to suddenly realize that Eve was innocent of the things she'd been accused of, and while Kaitlyn thought she should apologize for believing the other woman had been behind the attack, she wasn't exactly sure how to say it... The good thing was that Eve didn't seem too hung up on getting an apology; the older diva instead seemed more concerned about what was going to happen to them after Teddy announced who he had teamed them up with.

Eve shook her head. "Doubtful that would work. In order for Teddy to be able to do this to us, he would have to have Booker's okay in the first place."

"What if we told him what a jerk Teddy was? I mean... Aksana admitted that Teddy got her to help him frame Eve for the attack on Kaitlyn at Night of Champions," Layla put in. "If we told him that-"

"He thinks I did it, too. He only hasn't fired me because I actually do more work than the both of them combined," Eve muttered, shaking her head. "He'd probably think we were just trying to discredit Teddy because we don't like the idea."

"It's no use anyway. Booker T thinks it's a great idea," Alicia Fox stated then, the diva making her way over to the rest of them as she spoke. She shook her head as she came to stand with the rest of the group, crossing her arms over her chest. "I went to him, tried to talk to him. Teddy has him convinced that it will make great television, having us all manage. Also has him convinced that it will be good for our careers."

"I'm here to be a wrestler. Not a piece of ass at ringside," Tamina stated, one of the few things she'd said aside during the whole thing. "Standing at ringside while men wrestle in the ring will not be good for my career. Getting a shot at the divas' title would be good for my career," the woman said, her gaze sliding to Eve, but the other diva didn't even react to Tamina's words.

"It's the same old thing," Eve said. "If we're on television, we should be happy. Who cares if we're managing or interviewing or... whatever... instead of actually getting to wrestle. It's not like we matter anyway."

"It sucks," Layla muttered. "I want more matches, not to be at ringside for some guy that I don't even choose to work with. It would be a little different if we at least got to choose."

"Apparently we can't even be trusted with that much when it comes to our careers. Have to let the big strong men choose for us," Alicia practically growled, and Kaitlyn shook her head.

"Fuck that," the diva said, then arched a brow at Eve, looking over at the divas' champion. "You're the assistant to the SmackDown General Manager. Think you can convince him that I should get an intergender match against Teddy Long?" she wanted to know, and Eve snorted at that.

"As much as I'd like to see you toss him around... or maybe be the one to do so myself, I don't see it happening. When Teddy Long framed me for the attack on you, he may not have succeeded in getting rid of me, but he did manage to do something... He got Booker T to listen to him more. I do the work, but Teddy's the one with Booker's ear now," the divas' champion said. "He'll never allow any of us to go after Teddy, even if he deserves it. We're all screwed." She shot a look at Kaitlyn. "However, if he in any way feels guilty over screwing you over for your title shot at Night of Champions, then you can be pretty sure he'll at least put you with someone decent."

"Or someone he perceives as decent," Layla put in. "Considering the fact that this whole mess is his bright idea, I'm not exactly keen on trusting his judgment."

"You have a point," the divas' champion muttered. "But I'm pretty sure we all know that he'll be actively trying to punish me. The rest of you will probably get his idea of okay guys."

"He might put you with Ryder. To torture you," Kaitlyn stated, and Layla shook her head.

"I doubt that. I mean, no offense to Eve, but wouldn't that be considered punishment to Ryder as well?" she asked, then looked over at Eve. "As I said... no offense."

"You just said that having me as a manager would be punishment. Saying 'no offense' is kind of pointless. But Teddy Long would probably see it as a chance to let Zack torture me. Be nasty to me, use me as a shield in his matches, all of that."

"Ryder would actually have to *have* matches in order for him to use you as a shield in them," Alicia said with a snort, shrugging when the others looked at her. "What? It's true. He's barely ever on RAW or SmackDown. He's mostly just on Saturday Morning Slam and occasionally on Superstars. Eve gets way more matches on the main shows than he does. His claim to Booker was that this would get us more television time. Hard to argue that when Eve gets a lot more time than Zack does. That's if he were to team them together."

"Alicia has a point," Kaitlyn said, then frowned. "Do you think that means he's going to be putting us with big name guys? I mean, that would be a way to say it's to get us more television time. Guys like Sheamus or something?" She looked at Eve. "It could even include CM Punk. He could put you with him."

"Except Punk and I are friends. I think we can all agree that he won't put me with someone I'm friends with," the diva said, and all five divas turned as one of the referees - Mike Chioda, actually - came over to them, the man looking a bit surprised to see the group of them together.

"Ladies? Theodore Long's making his way to the ring right now. He said that all of you - and Aksana - are expected out there with him," the man said, and the women looked at each other, Eve taking a deep breath before she spoke.

"Well, I guess this is it. Time to go find out our fate. And maybe kick Teddy's ass while we're at it."


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer, etc., in part 1.

* * *

Part Five

Kaitlyn arched a brow, looking at the others. "Okay... New plan... We go out there, surround the ring, then all get in at once and beat the shit out of Teddy Long."

"I like that plan," Tamina said, and Eve rolled her eyes.

"We all like that plan. Unfortunately, if we go with that plan, we're all likely to get suspended," the divas' champion said. "Think about it... Alicia already said that Booker was all for this. She went and talked to him. He doesn't care what we actually think, so if we revolt against it, even as a group, then we're just going to get into big trouble."

Layla made a face. "Eve does have a point. Which means... This sucks, but we have to go out there and do this. We don't have to look happy about it, though."

Eve sighed as her music began to play... They'd been instructed that they were all to walk out to her music. Apparently Teddy and company thought it was a waste of time to let them come out one by one. Not surprising, really, since Teddy seemed to think it was a waste of time for the women in the company to have matches as all.

"Let's get this over with," Eve muttered, shooting a look at the others before heading through the curtains, very aware that both Kaitlyn and Layla were close behind her. Tamina and Alicia came next and Aksana, whom they'd found standing near the steps when they'd all headed for the curtain, trailed behind, clearly not a part of the group... After her little confession that she'd been involved in the attack on Kaitlyn and framing Eve for it, not to mention the knowledge of her past relationship with Teddy Long, well... Even if the others weren't exactly friends, they were willing to look past that for now. They weren't willing to look past it for Aksana, however. Not right now, anyway.

As the divas entered the ring, Teddy Long beamed at them, looking like he thought he was some benevolent leader and they were his subjects... Well, he did until Tamina took a few steps closer to him, the woman feigning like she was going to hit him, the man ducking... Tamina smirking in response, the woman having never touched him.

"Such a brave, brave man," the diva stated, shaking her head, moving over to one of the corners and leaning against the turnbuckle, still staring him down. Aksana was so close to the ropes that she was barely in the ring, while the other four - Eve, Kaitlyn, Alicia, and Layla - stood in the group, none of them appearing very happy as they waited for Teddy to get on with it and make his announcements. The Senior Advisor to the SmackDown General Manager - currently the only GM on the shows since AJ had resigned and Vickie's role had never been clearly defined - had already told the crowd what was going on before the divas had come down to the ring, the man making it sound like the women were thrilled with this turn of events... A lie that was very evident to all considering the looks on the faces of everyone in the ring at the moment. None of them looked happy, and actually paying attention to the women could see it.

Teddy cleared his throat, bringing the microphone close enough to his mouth that he could speak and be heard. "Now, as I explained to everybody before the girls came out here, anyone that's already managing somebody is stayin' where she is. The Funkadactyls are with Brodus, AJ is with Dolph, Natalya is with Khali and Hornswoggle, and Rosa is with Epico and Primo. All that's stayin' the same. What's changing is that these girls are getting someone to manage, too," he said, then jerked when Tamina suddenly stepped forward, tugging the microphone close to her and speaking.

"Stop calling a group of fully grown women 'girls'... And just get on with it. You're wasting our time, and the time of the fans. They're here to watch wrestling, not listen to you run your mouth," the woman said, and Eve smirked slightly at that, glad to hear Tamina say pretty much what she'd been thinking. From the expression on the faces of some of the others, they felt the same way.

Teddy cleared his throat, pulling the microphone back towards himself. "No harm in a little suspense, Tamina. But as it is... We do need to get this show on the road," the man said, casually stepping away from Tamina a little more with each step, then giving the crowd a winning smile. "Now I'm sure y'all are almost as curious as these ladies are as to who they'll be managing, so let's get on with it."

"Yes, let's do that," Layla murmured, her voice too low for anyone but Eve, who was standing right next to her, to hear.

"Now, I thought long and hard about who I should assign each of these women to manage, and I think it will show when I make my announcements," Teddy continued, smiling broadly, the man obviously emphasizing the fact that he was the one that had made these choices. He was proud that this career decision had been taken from their hands and put into his. "First... I'm happy to announce that the lovely Layla will be managing... Kofi Kingston!"

"Oh, thank goodness," Layla managed to say as she breathed a huge sigh of relief and, really, Eve couldn't say she blamed the other diva. Of all the guys in the roster to get stuck with, Kofi was probably the most easy-going. Definitely one of the nicest.

Teddy continued to smile, the man lifting the mic once more as he continued to speak. "Miss Alicia Fox over here... She'll be managing... Sheamus!" he declared, not even looking at Alicia to see her reaction, though he wouldn't have gotten much of one if he'd looked. The diva remained stoic enough that it was impossible to tell what she was thinking.

"Next we've got Tamina... And she will be managing the Miz!" he said, and Kaitlyn and Eve exchanged a look at that, both women looking like they were trying not to laugh. Putting Tamina with the Miz of all people? She could probably make the guy curl up in the fetal position and cry like a baby. And from the look on her face... She might plan to do just that.

"Aksana will now be managing the Rhodes Scholars, who I am sure will treat her like the lady that she is," he said, and Eve snorted quietly, muttering to Kaitlyn, who was standing beside her.

"Given the texts I read between them on Aksana's phone, he has an interesting definition of 'lady'," the woman hissed, and Kaitlyn smirked, then quickly wiped the look off of her face when Teddy continued.

"Kaitlyn, I've got a great team for you... You're going to be managing the tag team champions... Team Hell No!" Teddy said, then turned to Eve, a smile on his face that was anything but kind. "And now onto Eve. The divas' champion. The assistant to the SmackDown General Manager. I thought long and hard about who you should manage, and then I came up with someone - well, more than one someone - that would be perfect."

He smirked, and Eve squared her shoulders, telling herself she was ready for whatever he said, but when he spoke, she really wasn't.

"Eve, you'll be managing... the Shield."


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer, etc., in part 1. Thanks to those that have reviewed/followed/favorited this one.

* * *

Part Six

The Shield.

Of all the people that she had considered, all the possibilities that she'd thought of for Teddy Long to put her with... The Shield had never even entered her mind. Possibly because she thought of them more as their own group that was separate from everything and everyone else... Almost like they weren't even part of the WWE. But in reality, they were a part of the WWE, even if they acted like their own unit away from the rest... And now... Now Teddy Long had, in his infinite thirst for revenge on her or something, decided that she was going to manage the trio. And she could only guess that the trio from NXT would not be happy about that.

That, of course, was what Teddy Long had to be counting on.

Squaring her shoulders, Eve held her expression as neutral, the woman refusing to show anything of what she felt, all too aware that Teddy was probably counting on her throwing a fit or something. In fact, given the amused and expectant look on his face, it was clear that was exactly what he *did* expect - for her to throw a temper tantrum. Well, she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of doing so. No way in hell. So while he stood there expectantly, that little smile playing at the corner of his lips that happened when he was happy with himself, Eve simply nodded, careful not to show any emotion, the divas' champion standing there for a few moments before stepping back, heading toward the ring ropes, the other women going with her, ignoring the fact that Teddy hadn't dismissed them. The man looked almost like he was going to say something about that, but then Tamina took a step toward him and he dropped the microphone, not saying a word as the divas exited the ring.

"I can't believe he did that to you," Kaitlyn muttered as they got to the floor... Eve taking the steps down while Kaitlyn simply jumped. Eve flicked a look the younger woman's way, a little surprised by how differently Kaitlyn was acting now that she knew that Aksana and Teddy had been behind everything that had happened surrounding Night of Champions... Including framing Eve for the attack.

"I can believe it. He hates me and wants me to suffer. What could be worse than putting me with three volatile men that probably have no desire for a manager, certainly have no need of one, and probably will not be happy at all about being forced to have one."

"He put me with two guys that can't decide whether to yell at each other or hug it out," Kaitlyn replied, frowning slightly as she spoke, though it was clear that she realized that Teddy was definitely trying to punish Eve with his choices more than he was anyone else... Hell, he'd even put Layla with Kofi Kingston, who was probably one of the nicest guys on the roster. And for all their yelling at each other, it was unlikely that Team Hell No would be mean to Kaitlyn... And Sheamus would probably be decent enough to Alicia. Tamina could just threaten the Miz if she wanted to, and while Team Rhodes Scholars might not be too thrilled to suddenly have a manager, odds were they would still be fairly polite to Aksana. But when it came to the Shield... All bets were off. The reaction of those guys simply couldn't be predicted.

"Let's just get to the back," Eve muttered, the diva fully aware that she was about to start shaking... That holding back her reaction would only last for so much longer. And maybe something in her expression told Kaitlyn how she felt, because the younger woman simply nodded, the group of them making their way toward the back... Tamina had already made it back, and Aksana was trailing well behind, looking a little uncertain about things... Possibly more because of the realization of what her little confession in the locker room could mean than because of who she was now going to be managing. Whatever, it didn't matter. Aksana didn't matter.

What mattered was the fact that she - Eve Torres - was now officially managing the Shield.

"You want to go back to the locker room and talk about it?" Alicia asked as they made it to the back and, while Kaitlyn and maybe even Layla looked sympathetic about how it had all played out, Alicia looked more like someone that was expecting a piece of juicy gossip. And one thing Eve was *not* in the mood for was giving someone something to gossip about.

"No, thanks. I think I just... Want to be alone for a little while," Eve finally said, and while Alicia looked like she wanted to try and argue that, the others nodded, Layla hooking her arm through Kaitlyn's as the two of them headed off, leaving Eve alone... Which, quite honestly, was something she'd gotten used to in recent months. She really didn't have friends in the divas' division, so suddenly having the others offer to listen if she wanted to talk was more than a little strange.

"I can handle this myself," Eve muttered to herself, glancing around then, the woman arching a brow and briefly staring down anyone that was daring to stand there gawking at her right now. After a moment, she shook her head slightly, then headed off down the hallway, not sure where she was going, just knowing that she wanted to be alone... Alone so that she could actually take the time to react to the fact that she was now the manager of three potentially dangerous men that probably were not happy to find themselves stuck with a manager... Which of course was Teddy Long's plan. Stick her with three guys - not one, not two, but actually three - that didn't want a manager, were known for attacking people at will, and might possibly take their anger out on her. She'd seen the spear that Roman Reigns had landed on Kane back at the TLC pay-per-view. She'd seen the damage the guys had done to their opponents. And maybe they hadn't gone after a diva yet, but they hadn't been forced to work with one yet, either-

Eve bit back a scream as she passed by a doorway only to find herself grabbed by the arm and pulled into the room, the woman instantly trying to yank herself from the person's grip... An easier task than she expected, seeing as the person let go of her almost immediately, Eve stumbling back a little at the surprisingly easy release... Then jerking when a hand came out to steady her. Quickly, she stepped to the side, her gaze moving around the room - little more than a storage closet - finding the others that were there... The one that had reached out to steady her, the one that was a hulking presence as he stood against the wall... and the one that had likely grabbed her, the man now closing the door, then turning to face her, Dean Ambrose's eyes meeting hers.

"I think we need to talk."


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer, etc., in part 1. Thanks to those that have reviewed/favorited/followed this one. I really appreciate it.

* * *

Part Seven

She wanted to run.

She was standing there, in a room the size of a storage closet - that actually probably *was* a storage closet - with the Shield. Roman Reigns was standing against the wall, Seth Rollins was barely a foot away from her - he'd clearly been the one to reach out and steady her when she'd nearly stumbled - and Dean Ambrose was standing at the door, basically blocking her exit. There was, quite frankly, no way out. Not without a struggle, and Eve was well aware that she wouldn't be able to get past the Shield if they didn't want her to.

Crossing her arms over her chest, the diva fully aware that it was a defensive gesture, Eve forced herself to look Ambrose in the eye, the woman trying not to look as unsettled and nervous and, yes, actually afraid as she was currently feeling.

"I didn't ask for this," she stated, proud of the fact that her voice didn't shake as she spoke. She was certain that the Shield couldn't be happy about this new little arrangement - they certainly didn't need a manager, much less one that was arbitrarily assigned to them - and she could only hope that they wouldn't take their anger and annoyance out on her.

"We didn't think you did," Ambrose replied, the man frowning slightly as he looked at her. Tilting his head to the side a little, he arched a brow at her, though he didn't say anything about her defensive posture or the tension Eve knew he had to be able to see in her stance, instead staying focused on the matter at hand: the fact that, whether any of them liked it or not, Eve was now their manager... And Teddy Long was the one that had orchestrated it. "I think every person in this room knows what Teddy Long expects to happen now. He expects us to make you miserable. Or worse."

"He hates me because I'm younger, smarter, and more talented than him... Of course, what bothers him most of all isn't that all of those things... It's that I'm all of those things, and a woman as well."

"He does seem the type to want to keep the power in the boys' club," Ambrose said, then stepped a little closer to her... Eve only able to stop herself from stepping back because she was all too aware that Seth Rollins was still standing close to her, and stepping back from Ambrose would probably cause her to step into Rollins. "But, you see, when choosing us, Teddy Long made... a big mistake."

"What do you mean?"

Ambrose smirked at her. "He's assuming that we'll do what he wants us to do. What he expects us to do. And maybe if we were a bunch of losers like Zack Ryder or something, we would. But we're not. We don't give a damn what Teddy Long wants or what he expects. He means nothing to us. He's just an obnoxious buzz in our ear. We didn't pay attention to anything he said or did... Until now. Until he put himself in the middle of our business." The wrestler shook his head. "He thinks we'll be mean to you. He thinks we'll treat you like dirt. I don't know... Maybe he hopes we'll powerbomb you through something," he said, and Eve had to fight not to react to that last bit... Because honestly, she couldn't say the thought of the Shield being pissed off enough about things to put her on the injured list hadn't crossed her mind.

"Dean," Rollins muttered from behind her, the man not saying anything besides the other man's name, something slightly warning in his tone, and Ambrose shrugged a little before turning his gaze back to her.

"We're not going to do that. We aren't going to hurt you. We don't hurt women, for one thing," he said, stepping closer to her again, the man now directly in front of her, his eyes on hers. Mirroring her stance, his arms were crossed over his chest... The man actually standing so close to her that she could occasionally feel his arm brushing against hers. And if she hadn't been thinking that being so close to her might be some kind of a test - checking out her reaction - the woman might have stepped back to put some space between them. Instead, however, she stayed right where she was.

"Why should I believe you?" she asked, the words slipping from her lips, and she thought she saw an expression that seemed almost insulted flicker across Ambrose's face before the man was smirking at her again.

"I don't know. I guess you have no reason to. But it's the truth. You see, Eve... We talk a lot about injustice. I'm sure you've heard it, seen it... Maybe we think that what Teddy Long did to you is an injustice," he stated. "He didn't ask any of us what we thought, what we wanted. And he purposely put you with us in an attempt to get you... at best, treated badly, and at worst... injured. I don't know about Seth and Roman, but I'm personally offended that he would believe we'd hurt a woman. I mean... Have we gone after any of the divas?"

"No," Eve said quietly, able to answer quickly because it was something she'd actually already thought about herself... The Shield had attacked plenty of people so far, but they hadn't touched any of the divas. Maybe Teddy had been banking on them being angry enough to make her the first.

Ambrose gave a slight nod. "That's right. We haven't gone after any of the women... And we're not about to start with you. Not when you didn't ask for this any more than we did," the man told her, then stepped to the side, his gaze still on hers as he took a few steps back, reaching behind himself to find the doorknob, his hand resting on it for a moment. "The way I heard it, all of this goes into effect next week."

"That's what he told us."

"When did you find out about the managing thing? Not who you were managing - I'm pretty sure you found that out when we did - but when did you find out what he was up to?"

"Shortly before the show started," she replied, and he nodded slightly.

"Not surprised. Not much time for you ladies to convince Booker T how stupid the idea is if Teddy doesn't tell you it's happening until right before it becomes official." The man shook his head, then opened the door, stepping to the side so that she could pass... Eve trying not to look too relieved as she went to leave the room... The diva freezing when Ambrose reached out and took hold of her arm.

"Yes?" she prompted, turning her head to look at him, and he frowned slightly, his gaze moving over her.

"You don't want Teddy to win, right?"

"Right."

"Then you might want to work on not looking so afraid of us. Now go on. We'll see you next week."


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer, etc., in part 1. Thanks to those reading/reviewing/following/favoriting this one. :-)

* * *

Part Eight

"Are you okay?"

Eve turned at the sound of the voice, the woman surprised to find that Kaitlyn was standing there, the younger woman obviously having come to find her. Forcing a little bit of a smile, the divas' champion shrugged. "I'm fine. I just..."

"You look kind of shaken up. You know, if you want to talk about it-"

"I'm fine," Eve said, shaking her head, and Kaitlyn rolled her eyes, the Houston native coming over and hopping up to sit on the equipment case that Eve was already seated on.

"I'm not trying to get the latest gossip or anything, you know. That's not what this is about. I actually came to see if you were okay," the other diva said, and Eve frowned.

"Why would you bother? You don't even like me."

"I didn't like you because I thought you were behind the attack at Night of Champions. I bought into what Teddy Long was saying. And now... Now I know from what Aksana said... I know they framed you. So... I feel bad. There's this guilt thing going on, and while I still want the divas' title - any woman in this company should want it since it's the only title we can fight for - well... It's not this personal vendetta any longer. Although I get it if you want to, like, kind of torture me or whatever for a little while because I believed them and all. But I figured that you have to be freaking out over what Teddy pulled tonight, so... I thought I'd give you the chance to talk about it if you wanted. Without the threat of it being all over the locker room within ten minutes because I'm not Alicia Fox."

"She does love her gossip, doesn't she?" Eve muttered, shaking her head, and Kaitlyn shrugged.

"Pretty much. I mean... She, like, thrives on it or something. But that's not me. I just... I wanted to know if you were okay, and well... You looked pretty freaked when I was walking up, so... Here I am. Feel free to talk or... not," Kaitlyn said, finishing up a bit awkwardly, and Eve actually smiled a little before heaving out a sigh.

"I spoke to the Shield," she said, deciding the best way to say it was the blunt way, and Kaitlyn's eyes grew wide as she took in the older woman's words.

"You... You went to find them?"

"No. They found me. I was walking down the hallway, and suddenly I was pulled into... I think it was actually a storage closet," Eve said, frowning a little, and Kaitlyn's expression grew more concerned.

"They... Oh, my God, are you okay? They didn't... Did they..."

Realizing what Kaitlyn was trying to ask, Eve shook her head. "They didn't hurt me. Seriously, he let go of me as soon as I was in the room. I mean, I pulled away from him, but he let me go. So fast I stumbled, actually." She pressed her lips together. "I'm pretty sure Seth Rollins reached out to help me when I stumbled."

"Which one grabbed you?"

"Dean Ambrose," Eve said, and Kaitlyn made a face at that, shuddering slightly. When she saw the look Eve gave her at that, the younger woman shrugged.

"Sorry, I just... For some reason, he's the member of the group that scares me the most. Which is really crazy, because Roman Reigns is the biggest guy in the group, and he's the one that put Kane through the barricade at TLC, but still... Ambrose kind of scares me."

Eve frowned slightly, the woman thinking about how she felt in that tiny room, standing just inches away from Dean Ambrose... At some points him standing so close to her that his arms actually brushed against hers as they'd stood there, both of them with their arms crossed over their chest. "You're not the only one that he scares. Reigns is pretty intimidating, too. But he didn't even... He never even spoke. Certainly didn't touch me. Rollins is probably the least intimidating of the group, and that doesn't mean... That doesn't mean he's not dangerous as well."

"Were they mad? About what Teddy did?"

"Yeah. But they weren't mad at me," Eve told her, the older woman tucking some hair behind her ear and turning a little so that she could face Kaitlyn a bit better. "It was... They're not upset with me at all. Or at least, Ambrose said that they weren't. He's the one that did most of the talking."

Kaitlyn shook her head. "No offense, but I would have run for the door the moment they got me in there."

"I thought about it. Might have done it, too, if Ambrose hadn't been in front of the door. I figured that if I tried to get past him, I would just end up embarrassing myself or something," Eve replied. "So I stayed, and I hoped that they wouldn't hurt me, and... I listened to what Ambrose had to say. And I pretty much agreed with his take on Teddy Long's motivation with this whole thing... Well, at least the part about assigning me to them."

"Because he's a total asshole that wants to see you humiliated?" Kaitlyn offered, and Eve snorted.

"You really think that's all he wants? Because I don't think Dean Ambrose was too far off when he said Teddy was probably hoping that they would be mad enough about this whole thing to hurt me," the woman said, and Kaitlyn's eyes widened, the other woman reaching out to take hold of Eve's arm... The same arm that Ambrose had grabbed earlier, though Kaitlyn was actually holding onto her more tightly than the man had. Eve could actually feel Kaitlyn's fingernails digging slightly into her skin.

"He didn't... I know you said they didn't hurt you, but... Was it a threat? I mean... When he said that... Was he threatening you?"

Eve shook her head, using her free hand to detach Kaitlyn's hand from her arm... The younger woman giving her an apologetic look as she realized how tightly she'd been holding on. "I don't think he was, actually," Eve replied. "In fact... He said that they were offended that Teddy would think they would hurt me. They haven't gone after any of the divas, you know."

"True."

"And, uh... Basically... Ambrose said that they didn't think what Teddy was doing was fair. He called it an 'injustice', which I guess is their word of choice." She sighed. "He knew I was afraid of them. I'm sure they all knew it. But... They said they wouldn't hurt me. Ambrose said it, anyway, and neither Reigns or Rollins contradicted him."

Kaitlyn arched a brow at her, tilting her head to the side. "Do you believe them?"

"I haven't decided yet."


End file.
